Improvement in rotary engines



.|. B. BEN N ETT.

Rotary Engines.

No. l5l,532. Patented June 2, 1874.

g s J offl/Um 2f @my JOSEPH BENNETT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO WILLIAM FOSTER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,532, dated June 2, 1874; application filed February 11, 1874.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J'osiirnB. BENNETT, of Brooklyn, in the county et' Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, elear, and exact description thereof, the. will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in arranging the abutments or cams which operate the sliding pistons laterally instead of circumferentially, and without the aid ot' rods, levers, and cams on the shat't. The abutments are four in number, and four pistons are employed.A Two of these abutments are on one head, and two on the other, which are set onequarter of a circle in advance et' the former. The steam is admitted and exhausted by eight ports, whereby a perfectly-balmced engine is obtained.

In the drawing, Figure l is a front elevation ot my engine, with one et' the heads removed and partly in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section ot the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation et' a modilication, showing the steam-chests secured on the head. Fig. 4 is a vertical section with the revolving drum and shaft removed.

In the drawing, A represents the outer casing or shell, having the heads or covers B B', which are provided on their inner face with cams, forming the abutments C C', by which the pistonslides D D are reciprocated laterally across the cylinder, without the aid of rods, levers, and outside cams or driving mechanism. The piston-slides are provided with packing on their sides and ends, in the usual manner, and slide laterally in recesses cut into the periphery of the revolving drum or cylinder E, which is secured to the shaft F, journaled in the heads of the engine in the usual manner.

The ports a a are arranged in the outer periphery of the casing A, and there are four on each end, two steam-ports, b b, and two exhaust-ports, c c, on each side of the engine, which connect by branches with the main ports.

The object of this arrangement is to make a more perfectly-balanced engine, by admitting and exhausting the steam at four points at once. The branches of the steam and eX- haust ports are shown in short and long broken lines, when they are arranged in the rcmoved head.

The valve is of the usual construction, and may be operated in the usual manner, and it may be arranged on the top, as shown in Fi 1 and 2, or on the sides, as shown in Fig. 3; butin this instance I employ one 011 each side.

Instead of the solid shaft, it may be made hollow, with ports through it.

To prevent leakage, packing may be arranged in the face of the revolving drum, or in the heads, wherever desired.

The operation is as follows: Steam is admitted into the steam-chest, and, as the valve moves, passes into the ports a, and through the branch ports into the cylinder, and, pressing against the pistox1-bladcs,tb1'ces the drum or revolving cylinder E around, the exhauststcam passing out of the exhaust-branches,.

and through ports a and c into the airl or any suitable place. The piston-blades are moved backward and forward by the cams or abutments C O laterally across the cylinder, and thereby work nearly noise'lessly.

By admitting the steam at four points at once, the engine becomes perfectly balanced, and greater power can be developed than with any rotary engine now in use, and by havin no rods or levers passing through the casing, stutling-boxes a-nd also friction are avoided.

The engine is reversible, as will be readily understood, by merely shitting the valve and admitting and exhausting the steam in the opposite direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The combination ot' theheads B B, provided with abutmeuts O C', the four sets ot' steam and exhaust ports with branches, and the drum E, having piston-slides D, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of February,'1874.

JOSEPH B. BENNETT.

Witnesses:

JOHN D. BLoon, JAMES ENGLISH. 

